Effective immediately, Louisiana legislators, health officials and law enforcement banned a new synthetic drug Friday that took the life of an attendee at a festival in New Orleans.The new drug, 25-I, which is also known as “smiles” or “N-Bomb,” can cause brain hemorrhaging, seizures, hallucinations, confusion, paranoia, fear and panic, the Department of Health and Hospitals said in a news release sent to the media on Friday.The drug is similar to bath salts, which the state banned two years ago. Louisiana is now the second state to ban the drug.State Rep. Kevin Pearson, (R-Slidell), proposed criminalizing the drug after a man from Arkansas died at a festival in New Orleans after overdosing on the drug. The DHH said that at least five people have died nationwide after taking 25-I.With the drug now criminalized, violators can expect to spend up to 30 years in prison for possessing, manufacturing or distributing 25-I.According to the DHH, 25-I is commonly manufactured in China and India, and is sold in powder and liquid form online.The DHH said that over the past three months, the Louisiana Poison Center has received two calls related to the synthetic drug, but health officials suspect more cases have occurred because identifying the drug in a person's system can require advanced lab analysis.“It is difficult to pinpoint what type of drug is responsible for a drug overdose. Some drug overdoses that medical personnel or law enforcement presumed to be bath salts or other illicit drugs could be 25-I or another of many synthetic drugs,” the DHH said in its news release."Today's announcement gives our law enforcement officials the tools they need to crack down on the people pushing these dangerous drugs," Pearson said. "The distribution of drugs like this might start in urban areas, but we are not immune from these problems in the suburbs. We need to tackle this problem now with every tool available to us."

NEW ORLEANS —

Effective immediately, Louisiana legislators, health officials and law enforcement banned a new synthetic drug Friday that took the life of an attendee at a festival in New Orleans.

The new drug, 25-I, which is also known as “smiles” or “N-Bomb,” can cause brain hemorrhaging, seizures, hallucinations, confusion, paranoia, fear and panic, the Department of Health and Hospitals said in a news release sent to the media on Friday.

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The drug is similar to bath salts, which the state banned two years ago. Louisiana is now the second state to ban the drug.

State Rep. Kevin Pearson, (R-Slidell), proposed criminalizing the drug after a man from Arkansas died at a festival in New Orleans after overdosing on the drug. The DHH said that at least five people have died nationwide after taking 25-I.

With the drug now criminalized, violators can expect to spend up to 30 years in prison for possessing, manufacturing or distributing 25-I.

According to the DHH, 25-I is commonly manufactured in China and India, and is sold in powder and liquid form online.

The DHH said that over the past three months, the Louisiana Poison Center has received two calls related to the synthetic drug, but health officials suspect more cases have occurred because identifying the drug in a person's system can require advanced lab analysis.

“It is difficult to pinpoint what type of drug is responsible for a drug overdose. Some drug overdoses that medical personnel or law enforcement presumed to be bath salts or other illicit drugs could be 25-I or another of many synthetic drugs,” the DHH said in its news release.

"Today's announcement gives our law enforcement officials the tools they need to crack down on the people pushing these dangerous drugs," Pearson said. "The distribution of drugs like this might start in urban areas, but we are not immune from these problems in the suburbs. We need to tackle this problem now with every tool available to us."